Compressor



y 8, 1956 E. SORENSEN 2,744,677

COMPRESSOR Filed Oct. 24, 1952 Fig. 4

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United States Patent COMPRESSOR Egon Sorensen, Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada Application October 24, 1952, Serial No. 316,651

Claims. (Cl. 230--49) This invention relates to a compressor and particularly to a compressor pump having an unsealed motor in driving connection therewith.

In the operation of refrigerating systems it is customary to provide a pump device for collecting the expanded vapor and compressing the same and delivering it to a condenser to produce a liquid refrigerant. Heretofore it has been customary to seal the motor into the circulating system so that the refrigerating material permeated the pump and there was frequently oil in the refrigerant material.

The present invention comprises a compressor having a diaphragm type chamber in which power is applied to the pump chamber without a direct connection and Without any oil being-in communication with the refrigerant material or any necessity of sealing the driving pump.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved refrigerant pump.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved refrigerant compressor pump.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pump having a motor indirectly connected thereto.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pump chamber completely sealed from an oil power transmitting medium.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pump having a sealed casing with a pair of variable volume chambers within the casing and a filling substantially non-compressible fluid about the variable volume chambers.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure l is a front elevation of. the compressor pump according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation through the pump and driving connection thereto;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation of the reservoir and connection for applying pressure to the variable volume chamber therein;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation of the connection of the variable volume chamber; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevation of the compressing piston and the driving connection thereto.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention a casing preferably of substantially cylindrical formation is provided with a bottom 12 which may if desired be integral with the casing 10 and a top 14 which is preferably removably sealed to the casing 10. The bottom 12 is provided with a hub-like connection 16 substantially axial thereof having a plurality of apertures 18 and 20 therein. The end of the hub 16 extending within the casing 10 is provided with a threaded portion 22 on which is threadedly connected a nut 24 having a flange extending therefrom. A variable volume chamber 26 is mounted on the nut 24 and is preferably constituted of a pair of diaphragms 28 and 30 which are peripherally connected to- 2,744,677 Patented May 8, 1956 is closed by means of a valve 38 which seats on a seat 40 in the inner end of the hub 16 and is maintained in seating relation therewith by means of spring 42.

An outlet conduit 43 provided with a coupling 44 is connected into the passage 20 which is closed by means of a valve 46 seating on a seat 48 in the inner end of the passage 20 and maintained in seating relation therewith by means of a compression spring 50.

A substantially similar hub 54 is provided in the cover plate 14 and has an inwardly extending portion 56 on which is threadedly connected a flange nut 58 to which is connected a diaphragm 6t to which is connected a diaphragm 62 by means of a peripheral flange 64. An upstanding substantially cylindrical reservoir 66 is mounted on the hub 54 and contains a quantity of substantially non-compressible fluid 63 such as oil or other pumping medium.

A substantially cylindrical bore 70 extends through the hub 54 from the reservoir 66 into the inner end of the hub 54 and therefore into the variable volume chamber attached thereto. An upstanding guide 72 which is substantially a continuation of the cylinder 70 is provided with a plurality of ports 74 so that fluid 68 from the reservoir 66 may flow into the cylinder '70. A piston 76 is reciprocably mounted in a guide 72 and the cylinder 70 for applying pressure to the fluid in the cylinder '70 as will presently appear. A cap '78 closes the reservoir 66 in substantially fluid tight relation.

The piston '76 is provided with a cross-head 80 having a bearing aperture 82 in which is reciprocably mounted a bearing element 83. The cross-head 80 being provided with a longitudinally extending aperture 84 in which the bearing member is exposed. A hearing 86 is mounted on the side of the reservoir 66 and a rotary shaft 88 connected to a driving motor 166 extends through the bearing 86 in substantially sealing relation therewith. A collar 90 retains the shaft 88 in the bearing 86 and a flange 92 mounted on the end of the shaft is provided with a wrist pin 94 engaging the bearing 83 and oscillating in the slot 84.

The variable volume chambers 26 and 108 are respectively connected to the flange nuts 24 and 58 preferably by means of a welded connection 102. Likewise the peripheral flanges 32 and 64 may be secured in any suitable manner to the peripheral edges of the diaphragms 28 and 30 and the diaphragms 60 and 62.

The casing 10 is provided with a filling of oil of such volume that when one of the variable volume chambers 26 or 108 is deflated and the other is inflated the casing 10 will be completely filled.

In the operation of the pump according to the invention the motor 106 will cause reciprocation of the piston 76 which will cause fluid from thereservoir 66 to be passed into the cylinder 76 and compressed into the variable volume chamber 168 to cause its expansion. Because of the substantially non-compressible character of the medium 104 the diaphragms 28 and 30 will be pressed together to reduce the volume of the chamber 26 and any fluid in the chamber 26 will be expelled through the check valve 46. On the reverse stroke the cylinder 76 will withdraw the fluid from the chamber 108 so that it will collapse because of the sealed chamber 10 the pressure will be removed from the chamber 26 so that any pressure in the inlet conduit 34 will raise the valve 38 and allow the fluid, such as the fluid from an evaporator to pass into the chamber 26.

Obviously, the alternate compression and expansion of the chamber 108 will cause likewise expansion and compression of the chamber 26 so that fluid from the intake 3 conduit 34 will be alternately drawn in and pressed out through the conduit 43.

It will be apparent that the present invention provides a compression pump in which the pump is totally independent of the pump chamber so that the pump need not be sealed or in any way connected with the pump fluid. Likewise, the power from the motor 106 is transmitted to the pumping chamber 26 by means of a fluid medium completely sealed away from the interior of the chamber 26 so that there will be no mingling of the pumping fluid or any lubricating fluid with the compressed refrigerant handled thereby.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described according to the best present understanding thereof, it will be apparent that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts thereof without departing from the true spirit and purpose of the invention.

For simplicity of description a piston pump has been shown and described for transferring fluid between the reservoir 66 and variable volume chamber 108. However, it will be obvious that any type of oi-directional pump may be utilized, or a single directional pump may be connected by a valve system to transfer fluid in and out of variable volume chamber 108.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new l. A pump operated compressor comprising a sealed substantially constant volume casing member, a pair of sealed normally expanded expansible and contractible variable volume chamber members contained in said casing in sealed relationship from the interior thereof, a substantially non-compressible force transmitting fluid medium contained in said casing in surrounding relationship to said chamber members, the expansion and contraction of one of said chamber members resulting in substantially simultaneous responsive contraction and expansion of the other of said chamber members due to force applied by said one chamber member on said force transmitting fluid medium, a fluid reservoir in communication with the interior of one of the chamber members, power means in said reservoir periodically urging said one of the chamber members in expansion and contraction, fluid inlet and outlet conduits in communication with the interior of the other chamber member, an oppositely directed valve means operatively connected between the other chamber member and one of each of said fluid conduits for permitting alternate filling and exhausting of fluid in said other chamber member in response to expansion and contraction of the one chamber member.

2. A pump operated compressor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said chamber members each comprises a pair of peripherally sealed diaphragm elements.

3. A pump operated compressor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fluid reservoir includes an integral fluid reservoir portion, a fluid bore portion in said fluid reservoir communicating between said one chamber member and said reservoir portion, said power means including a reciprocating pump operatively connected to said bore portion.

4. A pump operated compressor as set forth in claim 3, wherein said bore portion includes an upstanding tubular guide element, communicating ports extending laterally through said guide elements in communication with said reservoir, said reciprocating pump including a reciprocable piston element reciprocably received within said guide element in intersecting relationship to said port portions.

5. A pump operated compressor comprising a substantially sealed casing member including an internal chamber portion filled with a force transmitting substantially non-compressible liquid, a pair of sealed, normally expanded, variable volume chamber elements supported in the casing exteriorly surrounded by said liquid, a fluid reservoir on said casing in communication with the interior of one of said chamber elements, pressure pump means in said reservoir urging fluid pressure into and out of said one chamber and applying and releasing force on the force transmitting liquid for expanding and contracting the other chamber element, fluid inlet and outlet conduits on said casing in communication with the interior of the other chamber element, and oppositely acting pressure responsive valve means operatively connected between the respective fluid inlet and fluid outlet conduits and said other chamber element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 225,930 Hoster Mar. 30, 1880 1,696,825 White Dec. 25, 1928 2,613,607 Sheen Oct. 14, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 305,235 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1929 385,651 France Mar. 20, 1908 673,850 France Jan. 20, 1930 

